Latest news with #US-Mexican
UPI
03-07-2025
- Politics
- UPI
Trump's efforts to expel asylum seekers at the border blocked by judge
Asylum seekers stand in line for food, water, blankets and clothing near the border wall in Jacumba, California on Saturday, May 13, 2023. The migrant camp at the US-Mexican border is about 60 miles from San Diego. File photo by Ariana Dreshler/UPI | License Photo July 2 (UPI) -- A federal judge on Wednesday ordered the administration of President Donald Trump to stop implementing a proclamation to expel asylum seekers at the border that he had signed shortly after beginning his second term. Trump had signed the proclamation, titled "Guaranteeing the States Protection Against Invasion," on January 20, his first day in office. It invoked emergency presidential powers to expel migrants before allowing them to apply for asylum. A coalition of immigrants and immigrant rights groups then sued the administration in February. U.S. District Court Judge Randolph Moss has now granted the plaintiffs a partial summary judgment, finding that Trump's proclamation and implementation guidance from Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem violated the Immigration and Nationality Act and the Administrative Procedure Act. In his proclamation, Trump had said that the screenings of asylum seekers under the INA -- enacted by Congress -- can be "wholly ineffective" but that the law grants the president "certain emergency tools" if he were to find that the entry of any class of immigrants would be detrimental to the interests of the United States. "The court recognizes that the Executive Branch faces enormous challenges in preventing and deterring unlawful entry into the United States and in adjudicating the overwhelming backlog of asylum claims of those who have entered the country," Moss wrote. But he added that the Immigration and Nationality Act "provides the sole and exclusive means for removing people already present in the country." But Moss found that the INA "provides the sole and exclusive means for removing people already present in the country" and that the government lacked the statutory or constitutional authority to adopt an "alternative immigration system" to the one outlined by Congress. He stayed his ruling for 14 days in anticipation of a likely appeal from the Trump administration, and deferred judgment on whether the government should grant relief to plaintiffs who are no longer in the United States and other aspects of the judge's ruling also did not include an injunction at this stage and ordered the parties to submit a joint status report proposing a briefing schedule on unresolved issues. It comes after the U.S. Supreme Court ruled last week in the case of Trump v. CASA Inc., a landmark ruling that determined that lower courts generally lack authority to issue "nationwide" or "universal" injunctions unless they are essential to fully remedy the specific plaintiffs' harms. While an injunction has not yet been granted in this case, officials in the Trump administration have criticized Moss as a "rogue" judge seeking to "circumvent" the Supreme Court. "To try to circumvent the Supreme Court ruling on nationwide injunctions a Marxist judge has declared that all potential future illegal aliens on foreign soil (e.g. a large portion of planet Earth) are part of a protected global 'class' entitled to admission into the United States," Stephen Miller posted on social media. Gene Hamilton, the former deputy White House counsel, called the judge's decision "judicial insurrection," while Attorney General Pamela Bondi said that the Justice Department would fight the "unconstitutional power grab.
The Age
13-06-2025
- Politics
- The Age
Los Angeles is at war with Trump's vision of America
'For us Chicanos – people who were born here from immigrant parents – it's important because we're bridging the gap between two great countries, both rich in [their] own ways,' he said. 'We're here to better ourselves, not to forget our heritage, but to improve ourselves for further generations.' His partner, Siomara Mata, a florist, said it was their first day demonstrating. 'It's very sad, but I think LA is a strong city, and we're very passionate about our immigrants,' she said. 'A lot of shops in downtown LA are immigrants that came here for the American dream, but not just to provide for themselves, but provide for their families here and provide for family back at home.' Two blocks away, Cos Trujillo was boarding up his shopfront on 1st Street, where he runs a bail bond business and houses an immigration office and tattoo parlour. Trujillo, born and raised in LA, has owned the building for more than 20 years. Loading He remembers the 1992 LA riots that followed the acquittal of four police officers who were charged with using excessive force in arresting and beating a black man, Rodney King. 'I was young … I went out, I was running around crazy – but don't destroy,' Trujillo said. 'What you're doing is you're hurting small businesses like myself.' A couple of doors down, Rumi Fujimoto had already boarded up her sports memorabilia store. She said she was looted the previous night after briefly leaving her watchpost. 'As soon as I walked away, I got a call from my neighbour. 'They hit your store',' she says. 'There's no time to spare right now with what's going on.' But, like most merchants here, Fujimoto is not against the protesters. A couple of hours later, I spotted her leaning out of her upstairs window, hard hat on, proudly waving her US-Mexican flag as the demonstration passed by. The protesters kept moving throughout the afternoon, meandering around downtown LA between police blockades. As they weaved past traffic, motorists blasted their horns in a chorus of support. And while Los Angeles faces a challenging moment, it was not all grim. Just before sunset, about 3000 people gathered in a downtown park for a multifaith vigil led by the mayor and preachers who called for resistance to ICE and love for fellow migrants. The crowd was peaceful, and the mood positive, given the circumstances. Among those listening was Diego Castro, 19, and his sister Mia, 22, from Fresno, California. Diego carried a sign saying: 'My family fought for my future, now I will fight 4 theirs.' Mia's sign read 'Familias no tienen fronteras', or 'families have no borders'. Loading 'The majority of my family came from Mexico, a lot of them did end up coming illegally, building a life here in the United States, building businesses, contributing to the economy, paying taxes,' Diego said. 'I feel like our country right now is really just punishing them for fulfilling the American dream.' The vigil crowd later marched down to the federal building, where a smaller group of protesters were already gathered, staring down members of the Los Angeles Police Department and the California National Guard. Religious leaders stood in front of the law enforcement barricade, addressing protesters on loudspeakers. Shortly after the 8pm curfew kicked in, people began to move on, though some agitators remained, chanting 'Our streets' and 'No justice, no peace, f--- ICE and f--- the police'. Police helicopters circled overhead. By 8.45pm, the crowd had largely dispersed peacefully. A glass bottle was thrown at a police line, prompting officers to fire a couple of rubber bullets, and later, dozens were reportedly arrested for breaching the curfew. Meanwhile, on the deadened streets, barely any shops were open. Most were boarded up or shielded behind metal grills. The constant wail of sirens punctuated the quiet night, as did the whirr of choppers overhead. In the apartment buildings dotted around my hotel, most lights were on. Downtown residents were granted limited exemptions from the curfew, but there was little reason to be outside. Even the hotel bar was closed. Karen Bass, the LA mayor, was keen to stress that the curfew affected just 2.5 square kilometres of the 1300 square kilometres that constitute this sprawling city. 'Some of the imagery of the protest and the violence gives the appearance that this is a citywide crisis, and it is not,' she said. Loading That is true. From Beverly Hills to Santa Monica and West Hollywood, life goes on unimpeded. And as police chief Jim McDonnell noted, the thugs looting and vandalising central LA are not necessarily the same people exercising their First Amendment rights to protest during daylight hours. But in the middle of this famed American city, with the world watching, another ugly night loomed. And the country – influenced heavily by its increasingly dogmatic president – is looking for people to blame.
Yahoo
02-06-2025
- Business
- Yahoo
US-Mexico relations: tariff vertigo, construction and silver linings
Ollie Brown is a GlobalData economist focusing on the construction sector and foreign direct investment in the LATAM region. Evidently for constructors and investors on either side of the US-Mexico border, US President Donald Trump's tariffs are rewriting international trade relations with many implications across Latin American economies. Short-term, 25% levies on all exports to the US-- made effective March 4th-- are expected to cripple derived construction demand in Mexico. Long term, there could be benefits as the retainment of high skilled labour and Mexico's foothold in changing global trade could foster more resilient growth, striding away from US dependence. Since Trump's inauguration on January 20th, the White House announced a slew of tariffs on the US's largest trading partners, biased to nations holding significant trade surpluses to the US. Seemingly, US tariffs are being threatened to further national interests, seeking to maximise rent on goods imported to the US, while leveraging access to the US's market as a bargaining tool. Exact levy figures – and market ramifications – continue to fluctuate parallel Trump's sporadic remarks, but to-date (29/05/2025): Mexico faces a 25% bilateral tariff on all USMCA non-compliant exports to the US, made effective March 4th, revoking USMCA free trade terms (consistent with Canada). Mexico is subject to 25% blanket automotive, steel and aluminum tariffs on all exports to the US, whereby steel and aluminum levies hit markets on March 12th, and automotive on April 3rd. Mexico was exempt from further 'Liberation Day' tariffs (along with Canada) announced April 2nd, testament to President Claudia Sheinbaum's cooperative stance as she has avoided retaliation. For example, as part of Mexico's 30-day suspension on US tariffs in February, Mexico agreed to deploy 10,000 National Guard troops to its northern border to combat fentanyl trafficking and illegal immigration. It shows the US is open to trade political concessions for reprieves in the ongoing trade war. For Latin America, while constant policy u-turns make forecasting difficult, the most obvious political concession appears to be cooperating in curtailing migration to the US, one of the Trump administration's defining issues. Hence, the ability to leverage migration control in the tariff tit-for-tat means the likes of Mexico, Brazil, Argentina and other countries south of the US border face comparatively softer treatment. While China, on the other hand, faces an accumulated surtax of 145% in tariffs. Despite relatively subdued tariff measures, in the short-term, levies will abet waning export demand given the scale of US-Mexican trade. Evidently, Mexican exports to the US have been growing YoY to £505.9b in 2024. Similarly, US export share has increased to approximately 82% in 2024, indicative of how dependent Mexico had become on US trade. Therefore, tariffs will disproportionally weigh on Mexico's economy as exporters scramble to substitute US demand. Additionally, FX volatility has been adding to bearish sentiment, albeit recently, the US dollar has dramatically depreciated against the Mexican Peso, from 20.84 (March 11th) to 19.54 (March 24th)-- as illustrated in Figure 2. Therefore, peso price appreciations will somewhat soften the blow to Mexican traders as their currency becomes more regionally competitive. Still, this boost in value will not be substantive enough to counter the expected loss in demand from US levies. Previously, GlobalData argued that tariffs on Mexico would almost inevitably be inflationary, as higher import costs would translate into elevated building material prices and higher barriers to obtaining new building permits which would stunt construction output. However, it now seems that the inflationary effects from the tariffs are being outweighed by the deflationary effects of waning demand as trade volumes plummet. Effectively, the higher prices Mexican constructors would hypothetically have to pay on the supply-side are currently redundant, because there isn't sufficient demand to action the project. Regardless, the short-term net effect is negative. Therefore, GlobalData has revised Mexico's construction output forecast to decline by 7% in 2025. Similarly, economic growth forecasts from TSLombard have been revised downwards from 0.5% to 0.2% for 2025. Parallel to ongoing US-Mexican negotiations over trade in goods and services, Mexican migration to the US is expected to drop as the administration revamps deportation efforts, which have been an effective deterrent for would-be migrants. Given that US remittances to Mexico totalled approximately $65bn in 2024, mass deportations will compound short-term pain. However, the retention of skilled labour in Mexico, previously lost to US industries, could foster more resilient, long-term growth. Figure 3 showcases that in 2022, undocumented workers accounted for approximately 14% of the US's total construction workforce. It is a figure that likely increased in parallel with record surges in migration under the Biden-Harris administration. According to CPWR, workers of Mexican origin account for approximately one-third of the US's total construction labour (2023). Therefore, Trump's hostile migratory policies will inadvertently redirect construction labourers back to Mexico, increasing the ability of Mexican construction to source skilled labour. Mexico's capacity to capitalise on a more robust labour force, however, hinges on its ability to foster the public-private sectors to generate funds to stimulate construction jobs and growth. As previously mentioned, decreased US-Mexican trade will infringe this ability, but long-term, Mexico is taking steps to attract a more diverse assortment of investors. For instance, all trade partners listed in Figure 4 face US levies of varying levels– and correspondingly pose a substitutable investment, particularly in China. Mexico also reached a revamped trade deal with the European Union in January, is currently discussing trade opportunities with China, and is reportedly exploring closer relations with Mercosur– Latin America's regional trade block. GlobalData forecasts rebounded (albeit modest) construction growth in Mexico at a 2% CAGR from 206 to 2029. "US-Mexico relations: tariff vertigo, construction and silver linings" was originally created and published by Investment Monitor, a GlobalData owned brand. The information on this site has been included in good faith for general informational purposes only. It is not intended to amount to advice on which you should rely, and we give no representation, warranty or guarantee, whether express or implied as to its accuracy or completeness. You must obtain professional or specialist advice before taking, or refraining from, any action on the basis of the content on our site. Error in retrieving data Sign in to access your portfolio Error in retrieving data Error in retrieving data Error in retrieving data Error in retrieving data
New York Post
24-05-2025
- Entertainment
- New York Post
'Tiger King' Joe Exotic's husband pleads to return to US
'Tiger King' Joe Exotic's husband says he's been tossed from one cage into another — and now fears for his life in cartel-infested Mexico after Immigration and Customs Enforcement officials booted him from the US. 'There is a lot of organized crime here and there is no security,' Jorge Flores Maldonado told The Post this week from Tamaulipas state, in northeastern Mexico — where he is begging to come back to the US. 5 Jorge Flores Maldonado had been 'depressed' since getting deported to his native Mexico May 17 — and hasn't been able to communicate with his husband, Joe Exotic, he told The Post. Instagram/@joe_exotic Advertisement 'I am a very famous person and right now I run the risk of being kidnapped. 'The cartels are very active here — I cannot even go out on the street,' he added. 'They think I have money because of my husband.' Maldonado, 33, was deported by ICE May 17 after getting busted in August for allegedly driving a car loaded with six other undocumented immigrants across the US-Mexican border. Advertisement It was inside a federal lockup in Fort Worth, Texas, where sparks flew between the migrant and the most infamous cat-wrangler in America. 5 Maldonado now fears for his safety in the cartel-ridden Tamaulipas state of Mexico. Obtained by the New York Post 'It was a beautiful romance,' Maldonado said, referring to his relationship-turned-marriage to Exotic, aka Joseph Allen Maldonado-Passage, 63, who is in his fifth year of a 21-year sentence for plotting to hire a hitman to murder his arch-rival Carole Baskin, and for violating federal wildlife laws. 'When I arrived at the prison, Joe wanted to get to know me, he wanted to talk to me, and since I didn't know English, we would translate back and forth because he said, 'I want to know more about you,'' Maldonado recalled. Advertisement Despite never having seen Netflix's hit series, 'Tiger King,' or knowing anything about the caged celebrity, Maldonado said they quickly fell head-over-heels during long walks in the prison yards, shared workouts and meals, library dates and movie nights. 5 Maldonado and Exotic tied the knot inside of the federal Texas lockup in November. Obtained by the New York Post 'He is very nice, he made me laugh at anything, he was always happy,' he gushed. 'We had a very beautiful routine.' To bridge the language barrier, Exotic took Spanish classes while his beau attempted to pick up English — although Maldonado insisted on speaking only in his native tongue during a call with The Post this week. Advertisement They sealed their unlikely love story with a prison wedding in November, marking the occasion with tattoos of 'Joe Exotic' on Maldonado's neck, and an image of Exotic's face inked on his left forearm. 5 'He is very nice, he made me laugh at anything, he was always happy,' Maldonado said about Exotic. Instagram/@joe_exotic 5 Exotic, aka Joseph Allen Maldonado-Passage, is currently in his fifth year of a 21-year sentence for plotting to hire a hitman to murder his arch-rival Carole Baskin, and for violating federal wildlife laws. Netflix US/AFP via Getty Images But the romance hit a wall when ICE shipped Maldonado back across the border, cutting off contact with his big-cat-loving husband. 'I feel terrible, I have been very depressed, desperate,' he said. Maldonado is now pleading for a miracle – and a pardon. 'I want permission to return to the United States and I want Donald Trump to pardon my husband as well – that's what I want. I want him to get out of prison, so we can move to the beach. We have many plans. We want to start working again, to do a lot of things, to live a beautiful life. Advertisement 'Joe wants to return to his music…and I want to support him,' he added. When asked by a reporter if he would consider pardoning Exotic in April 2020, Trump said he didn't know anything about the case but vowed to 'take a look.'
Yahoo
30-04-2025
- Business
- Yahoo
Trump tracker: Is the US president keeping his pledges?
Donald Trump made a raft of promises about how he would repair America before re-entering the Oval Office for his second term in January. Below, we examine how many of Mr Trump's campaign promises have been kept as the US president approaches his first 100 days in office. From inflation to immigration, trade policies and tariffs, The Telegraph breaks down the numbers behind the 47th president's political performance. This page will be continually updated throughout Mr Trump's term to provide an ongoing assessment of his performance. During his first term as president, Mr Trump's approval ratings rarely went above 50 per cent. On day one of his second presidency, just 48.5 per cent had a favourable view of the Republican. This figure has since declined. Compared to other presidents, Mr Trump is underperforming for this stage of his presidency. However, he did start with a higher approval rate than when he began his first term in 2017. Mr Trump's second term began with a renewed push on immigration. Preventing unlawful migrants from entering the US is a cornerstone of Mr Trump's immigration policy, made possible by the fortification of the US-Mexican border. The US president is also focused on migrants who are already in the country. Immediately after he took office, he scrapped the CBP One smartphone app, which had allowed migrants to schedule appointments with US border patrol agents. Since Mr Trump returned to the White House, illegal crossings over the US-Mexican land border have plummeted to the lowest on record. Prior to the election, Mr Trump repeatedly said he would end the war between Russia and Ukraine on his first day in office. On Feb 12, he announced that he had spoken with Vladimir Putin, the Russian president, on the phone. This is the first known conversation between the leaders since Mr Trump assumed office in January. Ceasefire talks have since begun but are ongoing and the war rages on. A day before the election, Mr Trump told a rally in Michigan: 'We're just one day… a half a day… away from the best jobs, the biggest paychecks and the brightest economic future the world has ever seen.' Since January 2025, the number of new jobs has surged, unemployment has slowly decreased and inflation has fallen. However, Mr Trump's global tariff war has been blamed for sending the global markets into a frenzy and major retailers have warned of empty shelves in America in the coming weeks. The practice of a newly installed president signing a raft of executive orders in the first few days of their first term was first made popular by Barack Obama, but Mr Trump has gone further. On day one of his presidency, Mr Trump issued 26 executive orders. This placed him ahead of Joe Biden and Mr Obama, as well as his own 2017 record. His orders covered everything from federal hiring freezes to energy deregulation. Although, as executive orders are not equivalent to legislation, so many of Mr Trump's directives will face federal agencies before they take effect. Two months before his election, Mr Trump, referring to federal employees, said: 'They're destroying this country. They're crooked people, they're dishonest people. They're going to be held accountable.' Mr Trump has since slashed the federal workforce, an exercise he refers to as 'draining the swamp'. The 'swamp' is a nickname for Washington DC inspired by the capital city's humid climate and the fact that some of the district was originally built on wetlands. It has since become associated with the city's high number of federal workers. But legalities, laws and regulations stand to delay further 'draining' efforts by Mr Trump. 'We will drill, baby, drill,' Mr Trump said in his inauguration speech, adding that the US has the 'largest amount of oil and gas of any country on Earth – and we are going to use it'. This mantra made clear his goal to ramp up fossil fuel extraction, even though the US's production of oil is already at one of the highest rates it has ever been. Trade and tariffs were one of the defining policies of Mr Trump's first term as president – and they are just as important the second time around. Mr Trump has reimposed tariffs on Chinese electronics and threatened European carmakers with fresh duties. It is a familiar playbook – and one that could spark another round of retaliations. He is no longer allowing imports into the US without an appropriate tariff, stating that countries should embrace 'a little tough love'. Broaden your horizons with award-winning British journalism. Try The Telegraph free for 1 month with unlimited access to our award-winning website, exclusive app, money-saving offers and more.
